Velvet Chocolate Walnut Fudge with Olive Oil and Fleur de Sel

Now that is some title for a post. My first thought was "yichs" but upon further consideration and thought, I decided that I am an open-minded person and the introduction of unusual combinations of flavors is not something I am opposed to. I've experimented in the past with  basil lime macrons - amazing. So off to work.

This recipe calls for homemade marshmallow creme- fluff in layman's terms. Who remembers marshmallow fluff? That sickeningly sweet but delicious spreadable creme that some of us made fluffernutters with.

Marshmallow creme

Marshmallow creme is an American food item. It is a very sweet, spreadable, marshmallow-like confection. Marshmallow creme and peanut butter are used to create a fluffernutter sandwich. Wikipedia

Fluffernutter

A Fluffernutter is a sandwich made with peanut butter and marshmallow creme, usually served on white bread. Variations of the sandwich include the substitution of wheat bread and the addition of various sweet, salty and savory ingredients. Wikipedia

I love making things from scratch when I have the time and energy. The marshmallow creme recipe is easy and so very different and better than the store bought stuff. I liked the fact that it makes more than the basic recipe for the fudge needs , so having leftovers is a plus. I guess... as long as I use it to make something and not spoon it out of the jar into my mouth!

puffy clouds of marshmallow creme

homemade marshmallow creme

I made the creme the night before and the fudge the following morning. It's a simple process, but you must be right there for the whole time- don't go to the bathroom, answer the phone or the door or else you will have a burnt mess that is almost impossible to clean. Not that it happened to me, but I can see the potential- scary!

my messy work area

The fudge comes together nicely and set up very quickly. The recipe calls for evaporated milk, which is virtually impossible to buy here. The one time I did see it, a small can cost something like $20.00 - uh, no, thank you! So I searched for substitutes and found that combining 2/3 cup of non-fat dried milk powder and 3/4 cup of water  will yield the same results.  Although I have not tried it with real evaporated milk, the results seem to be just perfect.    

scoring the top before the fudge settles so the oil can seep in

 The final step after cutting it into small pieces (the recipe calls for 16 pieces- I cut them smaller since I think fudge is so rich that less is better) is drizzling olive oil and Fleur de sel on top. I have a very special hazelnut oil that is something out of this world, and since the combination of hazelnut and chocolate is a winner, I decided to use that instead. Sprinkle with a touch of the Fleur de sel to counter the sweetness and you've got a delicious and a bit unusual treat.

I also drizzled some of the fudge with olive oil and that, too, is a special treat- different angle of flavor but just as good. Using a good quality olive oil is important here.

If you'd like to give these a try, you can find the recipe here at Baked Sunday Mornings.